Werner Leitner is a criminal defense lawyer and a specialist in criminal law (Fachanwalt für Strafrecht).
Upon completing his legal studies in Munich, he first worked as an attaché at the German Federal Foreign Office. He ended his career as a diplomat in 1989, joining the law firm of the star defense attorney Rolf Bossi as a young lawyer.
Werner Leitner acts primarily as a defense counsel for his clients, but in many cases he also brings his experience to bear as a strategic advisor behind the scenes. This includes the art of making a convincing case in court and leveraging a broad professional network to solve problems as needed with as little fanfare as possible.
He teaches while collar crime and criminal procedure as an honorary professor at the University of Augsburg since 2014.
Werner Leitner is Honorary Chairman of the Criminal Law Section of the German Bar Association (DAV), the largest organization of defense lawyers in Europe, and was Chairman of its Executive Committee from 2004 to 2016. A major focus of his practice is the law governing the legal profession and ensuring an independent criminal defense. From 2012 until 2022 he served as presiding judge at the Bavarian Lawyers' High Court (Bayerischer Anwaltsgerichtshof) where he is also a member of the presidium.
Werner Leitner is the author of numerous publications on criminal law and criminal procedure and was the co-editor of the law journal Strafverteidiger Forum (StraFo) (Criminal defense lawyers’ forum) for many years. With Prof. Dr. Henning Rosenau he is the co-editor of NOMO’s „Kommentar zum Wirtschafts- und Steuerstrafrecht” (Commentary on white collar crime and criminal tax law). He is also co-editor of the law journal Strafverteidiger Forum (StraFo) (Criminal defense lawyers’ forum).
He is a frequent guest speaker on current legal policy issues at major professional conferences and for corporate executives.
Werner Leitner also advises in English, French and Spanish.
„The absolute address in Munich“... „Fast response, highly professional“ (JUVE, 2024)
„An outstanding practitioner in commercial criminal law. His vast experience is immediately apparent“ (Legal 500, 2024)
„Combining many years of experience and a strong network, Werner Leitner offers effective support as defence counsel to high-profile individual clients and as strategic adviser to companies. He covers an extensive range of topics from capital markets to environmental criminal law and has made many academic contributions to the field“ (Chambers Europe Guide, 2024).
In 2024, as in previous years, Prof. Dr. Werner Leitner was listed by Legal 500 as a „Leading Name“ in the field of „Commercial Criminal Law - Advice to Individuals“ and in Handelsblatt’s ranking in cooperation with Best Lawyers as „Best Lawyer“ in the field of “Commercial Criminal Law“.
